40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 7

A Little Slice of Silliness

(in a busy stressful day)

So much is going on down here this time of year.  We have the mission group from Benedictine arriving on Friday, the Ruta Maya next week, the Franciscan mission group arriving March 10th, and the Bishop's Commission (for our 5 year inspection and accreditation of the school) that same week.  Oh, and grades are due.  Needless to say, it's getting stressful with lesson plans and grades and just making sure all our ducks are in a row in general.  Today when I received my first official notice from the captain of my Ruta Maya team I felt some of the stress melt away :)  

Given the choice of shaving your head or going naked... what's a girl to do?  ;)  

there might be mutiny before the race even begins!   

40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 6

My Deskmates

I may be a little biased, but I do believe I sit at the best cluster of desks in the MCHS teachers' lounge!  We help each other find resources and ideas for teaching, share ridiculous youtube videos, and borrow each others' scissors and tape (okay well they all borrow mine).  We keep each other laughing and encourage each other when we've had a terrible day.  I am thankful for my deskmates at the Religion table!    

About the picture... they are not working diligently as it appears.  It's afterschool, they are all messing around on the internet.  Sean is checking Av's scores, Downey is reading about the Ruta Maya, and Dave is watching horse jumping videos from the 70s.  And yes, our desk is always that messy.  

40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 5

Running Water

Last semester I went for a Religion curriculum meeting in the village of Chunox, in northern Belize, near the Mexican border.  When we arrived I wondered where the students that attend this school live.  The school itself is seemingly in the middle of nowhere on a dirt/rocky road (not unusual for here) but there were no houses in site.  The 125 students (grade 9-12) come in everyday from where they live even farther out than the where the school is.  We had our meeting in the Food Processing (home ec) room and we all passed the bug spray around because the mosquitoes were fierce.  We got some strange looks from the students and I wondered if they had seen many white people around there.  None of this surprised me.  It's probably surprising to people in the states, but you get kind of used to it when you live here.  It wasn't until I asked where the restroom was and I was directed to a dirt path behind the school that I was surprised...

I was immediately thankful for what I have at Mt. Carmel High School!   I often complain about the lack of resources at our school.  But after visiting Chunox I hold my tongue.  I know there are many families who don't have running water in their homes, but for some reason it never crossed my mind that there are schools without running water.  No matter where you are, you don't realize what you have until you witness people who have less than you.  So this Lent I'm thankful for running water, at home and at school (that means no complaining about not having hot water!)

yes, these are the staff bathrooms!  

the students' bathrooms look the same from the outside but I'm sure they're worse on the inside :) 

Ruta Maya

Here's a link to the Ruta Maya, a 170 mile canoe race across Belize.  Last year I didn't participate but was so inspired just by watching the beginning and the end of the race that I promised I would give it a shot if I got the chance.  And this year... I'm getting the chance!  

Our team (myself and two other volunteers) need about $300 for the registration, food, etc.  If you'd like to help us out just email me (betsyhead@hotmail.com) or facebook me and I'll give you my parents address and you can send a donation.  And of course, please pray for our safety and endurance March 9th-12th!  

http://www.larutamayabelize.com/main/default.aspx

Some of our volunteer teachers finishing the race last year

40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 4

Sundays

 

40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 3 

Three Day Weekends

Self explanatory.  Who doesn't like one less day of work and one more day to relax?!  

Here we are, enjoying our day off with a trip to the pool and lunch at Hode's!  

40 Things I'm Thankful For

Day 2:

Mail

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.  

~Phyllis Theroux

 I find so much joy in sending and receiving mail, and I don't think I'm the only one.  All the volunteers down here would agree that it truly makes your day to receive something from home.  I know it's enjoyable to get something meaningful (rather than bills and junk mail!) anywhere you live.  The fact that it is so meaningful is the very reason why no matter how advanced we become technologically it will never replace good old real mail.  

What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand-clasp.  ~Author Unknown

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely.  ~Pam Brown

40 Things I'm Thankful For

This Lent I will be posting a picture of something I'm grateful for everyday!  

Here's what I'm thankful for Day 1: 

Laughter 

“The most thoroughly wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed”
~ Nicolas de Chamfort

At the end of a long day at school last week I went to the refrigerator in the teachers' lounge and took a big gulp of what I thought was my tea.  Once the flavor hit me I ran outside and spit it out.  Apparently cleaning supplies are kept in water bottles in refrigerators here in Belize.  Of course it wasn't enough to make me sick and we all got a good laugh out of it so it was definitely worth it.  Who keeps cleaning supplies in water bottles anyway?  Much less in the refrigerator?!  I found out it was an almost all natural insect repellent cleaner they use on the floors.  Only in Belize!  It's still in the fridge, but someone was kind enough to use some masking tape and identify it as "insect repellent"   Hope you all had a good laugh today!  

I saw this cart of cleaning supplies in the bathroom at the airport.  Using water bottles really is the norm here... but at least they're labelled!